Pressure relief system

ABSTRACT

A Pressure Relief System for attachment to pressurized vessels, containers, reactors, boilers, etc., utilizing liquid(s) as a working part of the Pressure Relief System.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] Subject matter was disclosed in provisional application serialnumber 60/220,609 filed at United States Patent Office on Jul. 25, 2000.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] This invention was NOT made by an agency of the United StatesGovernment, NOR under a contract with an agency of the United StatesGovernment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] This invention relates generally to pressure relief and controldevices used for safety purposes to prevent ruptures and explosions ofboilers, gas cylinders, chemical reactors and other pressurized items ofalmost every description.

[0005] 2. Description of the Invention

[0006] Pressure relief devices of a number of types are well known inthe art. Among them are pressure relief valves, blow out plugs andrupture discs, all of which are made entirely of solid materials thatmay corrode, resulting in premature release of the fluid that theycontain or else fail entirely to release the held back fluid when thepressure exceeds the predetermined maximum safe pressure. Those types ofproblems have resulted in many jurisdictions enacting laws requiringboiler owners to have a trained person watching the boiler at all timesfor the purpose of taking emergency action in the event that thepressure in the boiler reaches a dangerous level as a result of thepressure relief device on the boiler failing to operate as intended.

[0007] The present invention solves those problems by replacing thecritical solid parts of a pressure relief device with a liquid, which ofcourse is not subject to corrosion or failure due to corrosion. Hence,it results in a totally safe, self regulating installation that would,both technically and legally, (due to the fact that the system would beopen to the air at all times like a frying pan of water boiling on astove), NOT require someone to watch the boiler while in operation. Thisresults in substantial savings in labor expenses. Obviously the presentinvention can be used on other pressurized systems and vessels as wellas boilers.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Briefly, the invention utilizes a vertical or diagonal column ofliquid of one or more types, which acts as the sealing plunger, and/orspring would in an ordinary pressure relief valve so as to hold back thepressurized fluid contained within. The column can be constructed ininnumerable different configurations. (Examples: “U” tubes; “J” tubes;tubes with one end extending down into a body of water such as a well,lake, ocean, tank, etc. with the end of the tube open so that thepressure at the depth of the body of water is the effective containmentforce). Thus eliminated are all or almost all moving solid parts thatcould otherwise corrode, jam, prematurely rupture, or erode whenfunctioning. Hence, in many configurations of this invention, all of thevarious complicated parts of a typical pressure relief valve arereplaced by a simple tube of some particular configuration, partially orcompletely filled with liquid and/or surrounded by a liquid on the otherend. In some other configurations of this invention, a check valve isalso included in the system. In many cases, the use of more than onetube in a given system is advantageous.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009]FIG. 1 shows an extremely simple system where a column of waterand/or other liquid in a pipe and reservoir above a check valve acts asthe pressure relief device for a steam boiler.

[0010]FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of this invention whereby thepressure relief system also acts as a water replenishment system for theboiler it protects.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0011] Referring to FIG. 2, reference numeral 10 generally identifies myPressure Relief System attached to a Steam Boiler 11 and through SteamBoiler 11, to the Steam Generator or Drum 12 and the rest of the steamsystem, most of which is not shown, being irrelevant to the invention athand. Reservoir 13 is supplied with make-up water via Float Valve l4 soas to prevent the water level in Reservoir 13 from dropping below acertain level, although the water level in Reservoir 13 can riseconsiderably above that certain level as the pressure builds up in theBoiler 11, Drum 12, etc., and pushes the water level down in the Drum 12and up in the Reservoir 13. As the pressure increases further, allliquid water in Drum 12 is pushed by the steam pressure down Drum SupplyPipe 15 and Drum Water Return Pipe 16 and on into the Boiler 11, etc.Finally, when the pressure in the Boiler 11, etc., reaches a point thatit pushes the liquid water level below the point where Pressure ReliefPipe 17 enters the Boiler 11, steam shoots up the Pressure Relief Pipe17 into Reservoir 13 where it can freely bubble to the surface thereinand go off safely into the air, thus preventing the pressure in theBoiler 11, etc., from rising any higher. Boiler Water Supply Pipe 18normally keeps the Boiler 11 supplied with any make-up water needed, andprevents the Boiler 11 from boiling dry, even when the Boiler 11 overpressurizes and discharges steam through Pressure Relief Pipe 17.

[0012]FIG. 1 shows a slight variation of FIG. 2 that is suitable forhigher-pressure applications. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 generallyidentifies a higher-pressure version of the Pressure Relief Systemconnected to a steam system. Connector Pipe 124 connects the upper steamarea of Steam Generator or Drum 112 to Check Valve 123, which isconnected via Pressure Relief Pipe 117 to Reservoir 113, which in turnis kept full of water to a certain minimum level by a Float Valve 114.Whenever the pressure in Drum 112 and Connector Pipe 124 exceeds thedownward pressure exerted against the Flapper 126 in Check Valve 123 bythe water column in Pressure Relief Pipe 117 and Reservoir 113 under theforce of gravity, the pressure in the Connector Pipe 124 will push theFlapper 126 open and discharge up through Pressure Relief Pipe 117 andReservoir 113 out into the open air. The maximum pressure allowable inDrum 112 determines the distance from Check Valve 123 to Float Valve114, times the density of the liquid contained therein. For even higherpressure systems, in order to avoid excessive heights, multiple units ofthis Pressure Relief System can be connected in series with all but theunit furthest from the boiler having it's Reservoir 113 filly enclosed(no open top) and connected to the next unit by the next unit'sConnection Pipe 124 connecting into the reservoir side above the FloatValve 114.

I claim:
 1. The use of a column and/or body and/or mass of liquid, asacted upon by inertia, gravity, and/or some other force(s), forcontaining, controlling the pressure of, and/or releasing fromcontainment if the pressure and/or vacuum should exceed a certain point,a fluid.
 2. The invention of claim 1 for a supplying a fluid to thevessel, container, boiler, drum, and/or system that the invention ofclaim 1 is protecting, regulating, and/or controlling.